Chapter 16: Green Lantern

It sounds funny that a lantern can scare the ass of a big man like me, who has been a soldier. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

But the key problem is that I have not only been a soldier, I am also a cook, a cook who has learned orthodox Chinese cooking from the old squad leader.

I know a little bit about the rules on this lantern.

What are the rules? In fact, it is very simple, if we think about it carefully, we will find that in this land of China, in addition to selling lanterns, it seems that only the catering industry loves to hang lanterns, especially red lanterns!

If we pay a closer attention, we will also find that if there is a little more elaborate Chinese food pipe, at least two lanterns will be hung on the door. Moreover, the habit of hanging lanterns in the hotel is still very special, and other businesses are hung out at most during the New Year's holidays, but the hotel often begins to hang as soon as it opens, and it is the case all year round.

Before I learned art, I only thought that this habit of hanging lanterns was auspicious, for eye-catching.

But after becoming a cook, I knew that the reason for this was not so simple.

Back then, my old squad leader also told me in detail about the "exquisiteness" of hanging lanterns in this hotel.

That was in the days when I was about to leave the military......

At that time, the news of the reorganization and disarmament of our division had already spread, but there was no conclusion as to who would leave and who would stay. Those of us who are soldiers inevitably make jokes in our apprehension, and we all like to brag that we don't want to do it in the army for a long time, and we want to do something after leaving the army.

In fact, thinking about it now, at that time, it was more of a cover for my inner anxiety. When it came time for us to retire from the army, no one said such nonsense, and no one was willing to leave the training ground where he had shed blood and sweat.

I even remember that when the order for the withdrawal of the whole company was issued, the buzzing cry of the whole company on the playground and the desperate raising of the heads of the comrades-in-arms were the last dignity of being a soldier!

Just half a month before the company was disbanded, I asked my old squad leader a question, saying what do you want to do after you retire?

The old squad leader was stunned at the time, he never seemed to think about leaving the army. When I asked me this, I couldn't speak for a long time.

After thinking about it for a long time, the old squad leader told me slowly, but nervously: "I will open a Lu vegetable pipe in the future, the kind that hangs two red lanterns." ”

At that time, I laughed, and in order to ease the nervousness of the old squad leader, I teased him and said: He is the boss of the cooking class in the division, and he will not let him leave the army early. And why don't you hang two red lanterns when you open a restaurant? Nowadays, young people love to be different, you might as well hang a few jack-o-lanterns and a few bat lanterns, so as to attract customers and keep up with the times......

My words made the old squad leader Arina smile helplessly.

Then, the old squad leader waved his hand to interrupt my teasing.

He told me that there used to be a rule in the chef's business, that lanterns were not something that could be hung up randomly, and that in the old days, they were even more useful than restaurant signs. It is a "sign" that cannot be changed casually!

As soon as I heard this, I immediately became interested, so I asked the old squad leader about the rules for hanging lanterns in this hotel.

The old squad leader told me that this lantern used to be called "Ming Lantern", which belonged to fire virtue. It is the most yang thing. In ancient times, every household would hang lanterns on the night of major festivals, in order to use its fire virtue to drive away the filth in the night. It is a symbol of good luck.

And the lantern in the hotel industry, it also has a special metaphor. To some extent, it replaces the role of the "door god".

In the past, people posted door gods in every house to prevent ghosts and suppress evil, but only the food and drink industry could not stick this door god.

Because according to the old superstition, the door god can not only block ghosts, but also block people. Who's in the way? Nature is the villain, the wicked, the bad.

But the shopkeeper of the hotel thinks that "blocking people" is not a good sign.

At that time, people were very superstitious, and the cooks generally believed that restaurants and restaurants were opened to eat 'guest official meals', and naturally guests were wealthy, food and clothing, parents, no matter who they were, they couldn't stop it. What's the matter if you block people, and it also makes the visitor's heart respond!? Therefore, not only can you not stick to the door god, but you also have to keep the door open all year round to indicate "open the door Najib".

Later, I don't know which dynasty and which generation, who came up with the compromise idea, in the hotel, the position of the door god was replaced by lanterns. Because the lantern is a fire, it can not only block ghosts, but also light the way for the guests who are sharpened at night, killing two birds with one stone.

Therefore, the custom of hanging lanterns at the entrance of the hotel gradually spread, and the lanterns hanging at the door are different depending on the region and food culture.

If you are knowledgeable, you don't even need to enter the restaurant, just by looking at the lanterns, you can know what colors are in the restaurant, and who they correspond to.

Generally speaking, it is a small stall in the wild shop that hangs a white paper lantern, which is operated by a small book, and that small lamp is called "Warm Heart Pavilion". Most of the red lanterns are on the main road restaurants for workers, and the two red lights indicate that they are "hot and hot". Most of the eight-sided palace lamps are southern restaurants and private dishes, which are intended to "make money from all sides and make fine products"!

Speaking of this, the old squad leader opened up the conversation box, and he also told me: "In addition, there are many things that are depicted on the lanterns. ”

For example, most of the restaurants with dragon and phoenix patterns painted on the lamps have a palace background, most of the ancestors are from imperial kitchens, and the font numbers written on the lanterns are century-old shops, which must be operated for at least three generations......

At that time, I listened to the mouth and thought that this Chinese food culture is really broad and profound, and just a lantern at the entrance of the restaurant has so much exquisiteness. Hey, the people nowadays, I guess they have almost forgotten about it, and there are probably not many old cooks like the old squad leader......

When I thought of this, I inadvertently asked, "Squad leader!" So if there is nothing hanging at the door of the hotel, how is it important? ”

At the time, I was curious. After all, there are more restaurants that don't hang lanterns now, and even if they do, I'm afraid few people understand the meaning, and they are just painting the scoop according to the gourd.

At this time, the old squad leader giggled a few times and said to me: "First, the ancient prostitute restaurant did not hang lanterns. As soon as their lanterns are hung up, it means that the prostitutes are 'working' and everyone should avoid them first, as for the second ......"

I looked at the boss's face and felt that he had something to say.

The more he didn't say anything, though, the more curious I became. Finally, after my repeated questioning, he told me:

"A restaurant with nothing at the door is a black shop!"

"Oh?!" I was a little puzzled, thinking to myself, isn't this black shop all afraid that people will know? But why do you still have a "tail" and tell others that they are black shops?

The old squad leader quickly answered my questions.

He sued me that not hanging lanterns in the black shop was a kind of "advertisement", because the social world at that time was relatively chaotic, there were more people on the rivers and lakes, and the owner of the black shop wanted to make black money, but he was afraid that killing the wrong person would offend the hero and cause revenge, so he came up with such a "wide publicity".

In doing so, they not only show their identities to the brothers on the rivers and lakes, but also avoid unwarranted retaliation, killing two birds with one stone.

I suddenly realized, and I couldn't help nodding and said, "The old rules in this lantern are really dangerous. If you don't understand, you can lose your life! ”

At this time, the old squad leader smiled and said: "The black shop is naturally not good, but as long as you understand the rules in the black shop, you don't have to worry about your life when you go in to eat, but you have to talk about the real darkness and danger...... It's not on the list! ”

I listened to the old squad leader, it seems that there are "restaurants" in this world that are more terrifying than black shops.

"A shop that's darker than a black store? What! I couldn't help asking.

At this time, my old squad leader lowered his voice and told me: "There are two kinds of things that are more dangerous than black shops!" One is a yin shop with blue lanterns, and the other is a 'ghost shop' with black lanterns for spirits and wild ghosts. ”

This is the first time I've heard the word "yin shop". At that time, my state of mind, in addition to surprise, was curiosity.

"What is this yin shop for? What is a ghost shop? I couldn't wait to ask.

The old squad leader shook his head slightly and told me:

The ghost shop is not opened by a human at all. He hadn't seen it either, and it was probably made up by a feudal and superstitious storyteller. However, this yin shop is indeed a thing, and in the late Qing Dynasty, the story of the yin shop harming people often happened, and even boiled for a time.

That kind of shop is very special, often opened in a hidden place, without a store plaque. But a turquoise lantern is lit at night, hung at the door, and only opens in the middle of the night.

The old squad leader especially emphasized that this kind of shop is very domineering! Their green light is like the core of a viper, a warning! Caution to those who know how to stay away from here. No matter what way the immortals are, once they enter the Yin Shop, they will pick you three layers of skin until they squeeze your money and even your life dry.

As for the methods inside, they mostly involve the methods of gods and ghosts and poisonous Gu, and they are not comparable to ordinary black shops.

How hateful are the methods of the Yin shop, the old squad leader gave me an example and said: The sweat medicine and human meat buns used in ordinary black shops are not even pediatric in the Yin shop! At best, it's just an appetizing snack before a meal......

The old squad leader finally concluded: "That yin shop is a black shop among black shops!" Even if you can pick up a life from the Yin Shop, you will be made by the food there, and you will not be able to survive or die. ”

After the old squad leader told me all this at that time, I felt a piercing chill in my back.

The cyan lone lamp also penetrated deeply into my heart.

At that time, I didn't fully understand the words of the old squad leader, and I didn't even fully believe it.

And I always think, now is a new society, those things that were tens or even hundreds of years ago, I'm afraid no one will do it anymore, and the so-called yin shop is probably forgotten in the garbage heap of history......

It wasn't until I met this green lantern that I understood it completely. I understand the yin damage of the yin shop.

Xian Hongye's illness, isn't it what the old squad leader said, "No people and no ghosts, life is better than death"?!

This "real private restaurant" is an out-and-out yin restaurant!

Not only does it kill people for money, but it also eats people without spitting out bones!